Richard Thompson, Blind Boys of Alabama return to Sunset Center.

Richard Thompson isn’t returning his BBC Lifetime Achievement Award or rejecting recognition as one of the “20 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone. But he’s not dwelling on them either.

“It’s like getting a pat on the back but beyond that, they’re a distraction from what I should be doing,” he says.

Since co-founding Fairport Convention in the 1960s as a teen, and inadvertently becoming one of the British folk rock movement’s key figures, Thompson’s made dozens of records – some his own, some guest appearances with notables like T Bone Burnett – and seems to be perpetually on tour. His last local show, a few years back at Golden State Theatre with his Electric Trio, was an all-encompassing, career-spanning marathon that began with “Stuck on the Treadmill,” “Sally B” and “Salford Sunday” from 2013’s Electric. The jam floodgates opened with Thompson’s smoldering four-minute solo in “Can’t Win.” He took the art of fretboard exploration to obscene levels, well beyond the outer reaches of Eddie Van Halen.

Following a crowd-pleasing medley, featuring “Did She Jump or Was She Pushed,” “I’ll Never Give it Up” and “Wall of Death,” Thompson brought out his acoustic, sent his bandmembers away and took audience requests, including classic fingerpicking ballads “Beeswing” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”

“I miss the golden age of the power trio,” Thompson declared as his band returned to the stage and erupted into a stadium-size variation of Cream’s “White Room.” If anyone can do Clapton’s solos justice, it’s Thompson. After the closing note, it was clear that Thompson wanted to keep going.

Most recently, Thompson enlisted Jeff Tweedy to produce Still at the Wilco frontman’s Loft Studio in Chicago. Tweedy’s less-is-more approach to the recording process thrives on the raw, organized spontaneity of Thompson’s live performances.

After more than 70 years of performing, Gospel Hall of Famers Blind Boys of Alabama are one of the only acts that can say they’ve played more than Thompson.

Pairing both acts on one bill sounds like an all-nighter.

RICHARD THOMPSON and BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA 8pm Friday, Oct. 28. Sunset Center, San Carlos and Ninth, Carmel. $49-$69. 620-2048, www.sunsetcenter.org